Shadow King
by Void-Of-Erebos
Summary: What if all of the bosses of Aincrad were designed by people who played the game rather than creating it? read this story to find out just that
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Zionne looked at the copy of Sword Art Online that had been sent to him, he downloaded the game onto his Nerve Gear, and sank into the world of Aincrad.

Zionne fell through numerous coloured lights, and a pop-up appeared in front of him; 'You have a save file from the Beta. Continue as Shade?'

Zionne pressed yes, and spawned in a large arena-like area.

Shade smiled, and instantly ran off, finding himself an empty field full of boars.

Shade ran at one of the boars, grabbing one of its tusks, and slicing through it with his sword, and before the game could register, drove it through the creature's side, before the tusk shattered, and he plunged his sword through the gap in the code, wrenching his sword to the side, causing the boar to shatter.

Shade received the standard rewards, but also received a Secret Technique bonus, a Frenzy Dagger

Shade looked over the dagger, it had 70 attack, compared to the 15 attack of his sword.

Shade put the dagger away, and walked towards a second boar, slicing off the tusk, driving it into the boar's side, stabbing his sword into the gap, and wrenching it to the side, earning himself another Frenzy Dagger

Shade equipped the first dagger, and walked back into town, where he was forcibly teleported to the square.

Shade waited for whatever was going to happen, to happen.

Blood began seeping from the sky, which formed into a large cloaked figure.

Shade sighed, and someone screamed in fear.

"HEY! SHUT UP! I WANNA HEAR WHAT MR. CLOAKY HERE HAS TO SAY!" Shade shouted over the commotion.

Shade turned his attention to the cloaked figure, who, despite having no visible face, seemed to be closely observing him.

Shade listened, as the cloaked figure introduced himself as Akihiko Kayaba, and told them that they were trapped within the game, and only had one chance at life within, or they die permanently.

Shade waited until they were free to leave, and jumped up, landing on the head of another player, and sprinting out of the area, and into Origin Plains.

Shade slowed as he reached the plains, and crouched. Blue light surrounded Shade's body, and a blue line of light connected him to a nearby boar, and from that boar to another. A line of light connected at least 25 boars.

Shade dashed forward, his dagger striking the boar, and the game jolting his body to the side, aimed at the next boar. Shade's body was repeatedly jolted to the side and forced forward, until he had slain all of the boars the light had touched.

Shade stood up, and sheathed his dagger in his belt, before walking forward, where a boy with black hair bumped into him.

"I'm sorry!" Shade apologised, "My name's Shade"

"Kirito" Kirito returned.

"You look familiar…" Shade said, "Oh, right, the beta"

"You were in the beta?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah, one of the first"

Kirito nodded, and the two walked to Tolbana.

"Come with me" Shade said, and dragged Kirito over to a gap between buildings, where he walked through, and Kirito followed.

The two came across a ladder going into the ground.

Shade jumped down the ladder, Kirito behind him.

Shade saw numerous Kobold Soldiers approach them, and they were swiftly sliced up with Shade's dagger.

Shade quickly levelled up by 15 levels, as the soldiers were designed to be fought at a much higher level.

Kirito followed, and took out a few soldiers, and reaching level 4.

Shade handed Kirito the other dagger, who quickly reached level 13 by killing Kobold Soldiers

The two wandered to the amphitheatre where a meeting was about to begin.

Shade absorbed the information well, until there was an interruption.

A man with orange hair jumped down all of the stairs.

"My name's Kibaou, got that?" he asked rhetorically, "Before we take on the boss, I want to get something off my chest"

Shade rolled his eyes.

"We all know about the 2000 people who died so far, yeah? Well some of you need to apologise to them!" Kibaou exclaimed.

"You're talking about the ex-beta testers, right?" Diabel asked.

"Of course! The day this stupid game started, the beta guys just ditched the rest of us! We should make them give up all of their items, and money!" Kibaou shouted.

Shade stood up, walked down the stairs, and looked directly at Kibaou.

"I have something I'd like to say to you" Shade said, "If you believe that we should give up our equipment, you've got another thing coming!"

"So, you've decided to show yourself!" Kibaou smiled.

"There's something you need to know" Shade spoke calmly, "The boss of this floor, it was designed by a beta-tester. As were the bosses of every floor except floor 100, which was designed by Kayaba"

"So?" Kibaou asked.

"If anyone has a chance of beating the bosses, it's the beta testers" Shade said.

"They should just tell us how to beat them!" Kibaou shouted.

"It isn't that simple" Shade sighed.

"You just want all the spotlight on you!" Kibaou sneered, pulling out his sword.

Shade took a step back, and slowly pulled the dagger out of his belt, holding it in line with the sheath for much longer that just revealing the blade.

Kibaou slashed with his sword, which was intercepted by Shade slashing with his dagger, which didn't reach the sword, but still cut it in half, shattering it.

"If you'd let me finish, I would have said that it's because Kayaba altered them in some way" Shade said, sheathing his dagger.

Shade walked back up to his seat, and listened through the rest of the meeting.

"Who designed this boss?" Kirito asked as they walked to the labyrinth.

"A man calling himself Diabel" Shade answered.

Shade remained silent until they reached the boss room.

The creature at the end of the hall leapt towards them, its name, Illfang the Kobold Lord appearing over its head.

Shade began taking down Ruined Kobold Sentinels one after the other.

Shade soon noticed Illfang switch from its normal weaponry to a large sword on its back –which was _not_ a talwar— and take out Diavel who had rushed forward.

Shade sighed as Kirito ran to help Diavel, leaving him and Asuna by themselves.

Shade watched as Diavel shattered.

Shade marched forward, Kirito and Asuna at his sides.

Kirito knocked Illfang's weapon back, and Asuna struck him with her rapier. Shade leapt into the air, spinning forward, and slashed right down the boss's chest.

Shade knocked Illfang's weapon away, and Kirito cut through, taking away what was left of Illfang's health after Shade's attack, causing the boss to shatter.

Shade tuned out all the celebrations, until Kibaou demanded that everyone stopped cheering.

"Why did you let Diavel die!?" Kibaou demanded.

"We didn't let him die!" Shade corrected, "If you had have been watching, Kirito tried to _heal_ Diavel"

"You knew the boss's attack patterns! But you kept them from us!" Kibaou shouted, ignoring Shade.

"I know why he knew! He used to be a beta tester!" one person shouted, "He knew, but he kept it from us!"

"Are you even listening to me!?" Shade shouted, "Yes he was a beta tester, but so was Diavel. In fact, Diavel designed this goddamned boss!"

"Do you have proof!?" Kibaou demanded.

"Yes, come with me" Shade instructed, and he and Kibaou walked up to the throne.

"It says here; 'Illfang the Kobold Lord. Designed by Akio Takahashi, known in-game as Diavel'" Shade said.

"How did you know prior to this?" Kibaou asked.

"1: I was also in the beta. 2: I was also on the FBDT, or Floor Boss Development Team" Shade explained.

"So he created this damn thing, and then had the balls to lie to us about it!" Kibaou growled.

"Actually, he had the balls to help people get past what he created" Shade corrected "Most of the FBDT killed themselves after learning that this was a full on death game, knowing that they had helped to make it what it is now"

"What about you?" Kibaou asked.

"Oh, mine's _beyond_ the point where I could justify killing myself for creating it. Instead, I have to reach that floor, and take it down, because I'm the only one who can" Shade laughed, before turning dead serious.

Shade walked back, and guided everyone up to the second floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shade arrived in a savannah-like area, with cattle everywhere.

Shade's eyes widened, as an idea popped into his head.

_**Later**_

Shade was sitting on a rock, with 5 Onrushing Cow in a make-shift wooden pen, and he held a large jar filled with a white liquid.

Shade placed the jar with a few others, and gave one of the cattle a pat on the head.

"Shade!" a female voice shouted.

Shade turned, and saw a girl his age with blonde hair.

"Ah, Krimzen!" Shade exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" Krimzen asked.

"Farming! There are all of these cattle, of course _someone_ is gonna farm them!" Shade explained, "I've figured out a way to create quests, as well"

"What?"

"One of my cattle is feeling sick, can you please collect one Health Flower, one Mysterious Herb, and one Red Flower Bud?" Shade asked.

"Uh, sure?" Krimzen was suspicious.

"Thanks, you can find them in Parched Plains" Shade explained with no expression.

Krimzen wandered off towards Parched Plains, where she noticed a tall plant growing blue flowers. She walked up to the plant, and picked one of the flowers, which was recognised as a Health Flower. Krimzen wandered through the plains, and came across a small green plant on the ground, which had a yellow glow to it.

Krinzen pulled the plant from the ground, and received 3 Mysterious Herb. Krimzen, satisfied with how easy the task seemed, wandered off to find the third plant.

Krimzen found a tall flower stalk with a single, red flower bud on top. Krimzen walked up to the plant, when the ground began to shake.

The ground around the plant rose up, shaping into a large ox with the flower stem on its head. Red Flower Ox appeared above its head.

Krimzen readied her sword, a long grey sword. Krimzen slashed the ox with her sword, which began to glow red, before she raised it above her head, and slashed downwards, a dragon head forming from red energy, which viciously bit down on the ox, which shattered.

Krimzen received a Red Flower Bud for defeating the ox.

Krimzen walked back to Shade, and received a Blade of the Plagued Beast, 3 Jug of Milk and 5000 Xp.

Shade equipped his own Blade of the Plagued Beast, a bone white blade with a cow skull for the guard, and a bone handle.

Shade unequipped the weapon, and jumped into the pen, where he gave each cow a hug, before opening the gate, releasing them.

Shade walked out of the pen, and walked with Krimzen to the labyrinth, a tall tower reaching up to the sky.

Shade saw the group, and joined up with them, equipping his sword, which sat on his belt in a bony white sheath.

Shade walked straight into the labyrinth, where he quickly reached the boss room, where a giant Minotaur stood.

Without even looking at the name, Shade slashed it hundreds of times in under a second, shattering it.

A second Minotaur appeared, which met a similar end.

The rest of the group arrived just as the third Minotaur appeared.

Shade charged up a sword skill, and thrust his sword forward, taking off some of the boss's health.

Shade jumped up, and cut off the head of the boss, which crashed to the floor.

Shade silently walked up to the next floor.

_**Much, much later**_

On the 7th floor, Shade now wielded a Moon Sickle, a small silver scythe.

Shade spun his body around, slicing through an unfortunate Blood Knight. He picked up a bar of red metal from the ground, called Adamantite Ingot.

Shade had, in his spare time, mastered the Blacksmithing skill, and had almost mastered his Metallurgy skill.

Shade walked towards a nearby town, called Ibia. He entered the blacksmith shop he owned, and found that he had unlocked a new skill, Alloysmithing, which was strange, as no way had been discovered to forge alloys.

Shade looked through the skill, it allowed you to create alloys by heating 2 or 3 ingots separately, placing them together, and striking them in specific places to combine them. If you created too much metal for what you want to make, there will be imperfections, you would then have to remove the imperfections without damaging the item.

Shade walked back out, and to the market.

He found a merchant selling metals, and bought a Xedra Ingot, an Elkon Ingot, and an Usco Ingot.

Shade walked back to his shop, and placed the three ingots in furnaces, waiting until they were glowing. He pulled them out separately, and placed them on the anvil, where they stuck together. Shade equipped his Blacksmith Hammer, and a crosshair appeared on the side of the chunk of metal, which he struck, barely hitting the mark, but still hitting it.

Shade struck a second crosshair that appeared, managing to strike the centre. A third crosshair appeared, which was met with a solid strike.

Once the third was struck, the metal glowed, and formed into a large ingot.

Shade picked up the cold metal, and inspected it, it was simply called Xedra-Elkon-Usco Alloy Ingot.

Shade reheated the metal, and placed it on the anvil, a menu popping up, asking what he would like to forge. Shade selected a claymore, and a crosshair appeared on the side of the metal. Shade swung the hammer, striking the mark.

The crosshair vanished, and another appeared on the top, which was struck. A third revealed itself on the opposite side to the first, which met Shade's hammer.

Shade struck the metal a few more times, before it began to glow, reforming into a thick rainbow blade.

Shade picked up Blade of the Rainbows, and equipped it, before walking out into the field.

5 Blood Knights charged towards Shade, getting cut down by a heavy swing of the blade.

Shade received a second Adamantite Ingot, and wandered back to his shop, which was called 'Shadow of Hephaestus'.

Shade was putting the ingots in his forge storage, when a bell behind him dinged. He turned around, and saw a girl, his age, with blonde hair.

"Hello, do you do custom orders?" she asked.

"Yes, I don't have much in the way of regular wares, and if you want it custom, you have to get the metal yourself" Shade said.

"Ok, I want a scythe, I'd like it to be attack based, and have decent accuracy, durability, and speed" The girl informed, "Oh, and my name's Emmaline"

"Ok, can you get 1 Cobalt Ingot, 1 Iridium Ingot, 1 Tantalium Ingot, 1 Adamantite Ingot and 1 Mythril Ingot?" Shade asked.

"Why do you need so many?" Emmaline asked.

"Don't question it, just get the metal" Shade said.

"Ok, where do I find them?" Emmaline asked.

"Cobalt drops from the Thunder Soldiers in the Labyrinth on this floor, Tantalium drops from Death Spiders in the Ominous Forest, Adamantite drops from Blood Knights just outside of town, Mythril drops from Jabbing Wasps in the Mysterious Hive" Shade answered.

"Ok, I'll see if I can get them" Emmaline nodded.


End file.
